Friday, March 01, 2013

Testing. Testing.

I have stepped (reports of dragging, kicking, and screaming are almost entirely false) into the present century with the purchase of a new phone.

The old phone, which ran on paraffin and started with a crank, had begun to draw stares and laughter from cruel little children. I am not a technology hound, but one has one's small vanities.

Adjustment creeps apace. This is day two. On day one, I mostly stared at it warily while venturing an occasional timid tap at the screen. Imagine the elderly Queen Victoria attempting to enter her Facebook password; it was like that.

With inexpressible relief I got back to knitting, which is also touch sensitive but doesn't suddenly beep or disappear or take your picture if you put a finger wrong.

If you are reading this it means I successfully brought both together. This is my first blog post via phone...and if it goes well, this little gewgaw may allow me to post more often-even when I'm on the road. Here's hoping...

I'm even going to try to put in a picture. Can you see it? Hello? Is this thing on?

Success! Imagine my chagrin when one of my coworkers called my phone 'old school'and thought I was using it ironically. It was about two years old. I felt about 127. Which I suppose is how old that phone was in gadget years.

My parents (pushing 70, both of them) were the ones who nudged me to get a smart phone, in place of the cell I had at the time: my very first, original cell, with real buttons, a 1.5 inch blue screen, and no ability to do anything except talk and text (and I rarely used the latter...). It was about 10 years old by then. Mom and dad had to go with me to the store, and insist no, really honey, these phones aren't hard to use at all, see, look at ours, aren't they neat? See how easy they are to use? And you can do so many neat things with them, just look at all the nice apps you can get, and they even have the exact same model of Droid we have, just take a look, and let this nice young salesman show you...

I should have known then that I was doomed. The nice young man behind the counter told me that once I'd tried a smart phone, I'd never go back. He was right. Just you wait, it'll happened to you too.....

The best thing about my smart phone (aside from the fact that I can talk to it & it answers politely) is that I now always have access to my Ravelry account and also, with the Goodreader app, I can download my Rav patterns & mark them up. I'll never lose my place on a chart again because the magnetic bar thingie shifted in my bag! Whoever wrote that app deserves a medal.

I got a new phone and managed not to be consumed. I got a tuner for it (I'm a violinist) and a metronome and...a flashlight! Ultra useful. Couple of games for the granddaughter. And wonderful pictures, even (gasp) video. And music I have to learn: I can feed recordings into the car speakers & study stuff while I drive.

Franklin - something (I know not what it was) reminded me of a lovely shawl you'd knit, ages ago it seemed, that was going to the "tech editor" and I thought you said, "pattern forthcoming." I found it by going back and back and back - it is called "Iceland Sky." Did it disappear at the tech editor's place? I still have a hankering for that one, which I can't explain, because I'm not a huge lace knitter; I do best with things that stand tough when my concentration lags; which it does; often. Can you WILL it to make a reappearance, and offer it, forthwith, to your adoring public? Thank you!! Tamara

Yay Pics too?! Wow. I should talk, i just learned how to put pics from my phone on Ravelry with a great app. I was so excited.And you typed it on the phone. Great job. It seems so tedious but it is a godsend while "on the road" figuratively not literally.

I predict by next week you will be a total phone geek. I felt the same way..now my phone and I are attached by umbilical cord...eeeeuuuuu! Congrats on the successful blog post and entry into the 21st century.

Oh, Franklin, you're such a stitch! I have one of those paraffin/crank phones myself. I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, and the nurse told me it was the oldest phone she'd ever seen. Of course, I believe she was about 15. So...

Holy crap, I have that same Phrenology bust! In other more related news: it took me about a week to fully break in my new smartphone. I even did a full side-by-side comparison of the smartphone camera vs. my camera-camera (The iPhone 5 won, but barely).

Lol! I truly understand your pain, Franklin. I was still using my first cellphone when everyone else had long moved on to flip phones (think how long ago THAT was) Everytime I pulled it from my purse one of my nieces or nephews would snicker and ask "Aunt Tee, is that the house phone?" Ingrates....

I still have a very old phone-- one of the ones that makes and receives phones and doesn't do much else. But I am fully in favour of whatever medium allows me to see more of what you're up to and ask you to please reveal more about that bit of garter stitch adorning your phrenology bust.

Thank you for assuring me that I'm not the only one still using a non-smart phone (or perhaps I am now). In fact, I've been thinking of getting one, and the fact that you can actually blog from one might be the critical factor in pushing me to make the move. Will you post more often now do you think?

Congratulations on entering the 21st century (however reluctantly). My kids constantly remind me that my phone was eligible for an upgrade almost 2 years ago and that nobody (except apparently me and their Dad) keeps a phone for 4 years! Even if it is a smartphone. If I used a bluetooth device, I'd be tempted to get a retro telephone handset receiver (google it, it's great) just to see their reaction when I pulled it out of my satchel to take a call in their company.

I like my phone OK, but I can tell you that if it was an iPhone instead of a droid model I'd use it so much more. My phone just makes me hate calling people. Not that I am in love with calling people. That's why texting is awesome. It's like email only even shorter.

yes! I'm sitting way in the back and I can hear you fine. There is a slight hiss but I think it's the air system. The picture is came through but maybe you need to increase the pretty or neat-o saturation?

YAAAAAAYYY! I do hope this translates into more Franklin (blog posts)!

I got my smartphone on Black Friday of 2011. Just last week I discovered it has a stopwatch built in.

It's very useful for knitting. Store PDF's of patterns and books, use the calculator for math, photograph (video) knitting, show off photos, email photos, access ALL of Ravelry, access the internet for tutorials or whatnot, find LYS with the map app, use the flashlight to illuminate knitting or paper pattern or bottom of knitting bag, download a row/stitch counter app, keep engagements on the calendar, listen to podcasts...probably more

what a great discovery your blog is. discovered via a link in a private group on Facebook.... You need to change settings somewhere with uploading pictures via smart phone as the images is able to be pinned [unlike the others]. I wanted to leave a link in my secret pinterest board for a "bookmarks".... I haven't done it, just kept a note of your blog address. Just thought you might like to know

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